Last Breath
by Zchocolatebunniesrulezworld
Summary: Naminé knows that Xion's time is almost up, but she still resolves to help the girl as much as she can. She will support Xion until the next breath she takes is her last. Xion/Naminé.


**There seriously needs to be more yuri in the KH fandom. Not that I mind yaoi (in fact I quite love it ^_^), but it seems to have eaten all the KH fanfiction...there is even a fair amount of het, but practically no yuri T_T Granted, there are only four girls in KH that are unique to the videogame (the others are stolen from FF and Disney) and three of them are the same person, XD, still, based on the plethora of Roxas/Sora out there, I don't think y'all care if someone falls in love with their Other, or the clone of their Somebody's "soulmate's" Nobody (...wow. That really is the relationship between Naminé and Xion.)**

**This will at first follow the dialogue and actions of Namin****é** **and Xion's conversation on day 356, then I shall kidnap it and force it to follow the whims of my silly brain, then it shall return to the plot. Thus making this uncensored canon :D**  
**I'm not liking my Naminé at all here, and totally plan to delve more in-depth into this outwardly sweet-as-pie little girl later...but this fic isn't really about Naminé, though she is the narrator, so I'll leave her be for now. Anyway, read on and hopefully enjoy. If any darling munchkin feels like dropping a line in a review, feel free ^_^  
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**_o~o_  
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Naminé studies the girl across from her, careful to keep her face neutrally blank. "It's nice to meet you, Xion," she says quietly, hiding all traces of emotion from her voice.

She can't help the shadows of pity and envy that grip the hole in her chest. This is a Nobody—no, less than that, a puppet—who got to be Somebody, to pull her own strings, if only for a while. Naminé watched from the sidelines as Xion, during her time in Organization XIII, laughed, screamed, smiled, and sobbed; exhibited signs of emotions that Naminé herself would never feel.

Of course, Xion now has to pay the price.

"Naminé . . . you can see my face?" Xion asks, gaze darting around the room, avoiding Naminé's identical sky-blue eyes. She looks . . . afraid, yes, but Kairi's determination still shines through every molecule of her (non)being.

DiZ's bleak words flash through Naminé's memory: _Nobodies aren't allowed to be Somebodies. It's against all laws of the heart, so the memories of her must be erased. There is no other way. She has stolen memories that do not belong to her, and they shall be returned._

"Yes," Naminé lies. Xion is a puppet filled to the brim with memories, and it is only these memories that Naminé sees. Xion's face flashes in quick succession from Kairi's, to Sora's, then Roxas's, and finally Naminé's own. The only things that remain constant are her terrified-yet-determined eyes. Naminé could drown in that blue.

And then, for a fraction of a second, Xion's "real" face appears. The girl is nearly a perfect replica of Kairi, of course. Other than her hair, which is black as ink, they are indistinguishable.

Naminé's chest tightens, her throat clenches, and tears come into her eyes. Her body still exhibits the signs of emotions, and she remembers that these are symptoms of sadness. Or maybe regret or pity—how do Somebodies keep track of everything in their hearts?

Xion may have had a brief period of light, but it's soon to be erased. By tomorrow, she will never have existed. Naminé knows it is only a matter of time before she, too, disappears into Kairi . . . but at least she'll still have her memories and be remembered. Though horribly lonely, she's still _alive_. Xion doesn't even have that.

_It's not fair,_ Naminé thinks. _Xion has friends, a dream, and a potential life of her own. She shouldn't have to lose all that_.

. . . but how else will Sora wake up? He needs the memories that have given Xion life. _Her_ friendship will fade into _his_ friendship. He will absorb every memory she has ever made in order to piece together his heart again.

"What do you think I should do?" Xion asks in a tiny, hesitant voice. She already knows the answer, of course.

Naminé knows the answer, too. She knows what Xion needs to do to restore the true Keyblade wielder and bring balance back to the worlds, but she can't bring herself to condemn the girl into surrendering everything that she has made herself into. She has been watching Xion from the sidelines ever since her creation. Xion is everything Naminé has ever wanted to be, and possesses everything that Naminé has only dreamed of having. The easiness of her life has kept Xion innocent, and Naminé can't bear to spread her contagion into this girl.

But there is no avoiding what must be done. All Naminé can do now is make Xion's death as quick and painless as she can.

"What do you want to do?" Naminé asks, as if it makes a difference. Giving Xion the illusion of free will might help her through this; if she thinks she is choosing her fate, she may accept it the slightest bit more easily.

Xion still avoids Naminé's gaze. "I thought I knew, at first. I wanted me, Roxas, and Axel to be together forever. But then I started to realize these memories don't belong to me."

She looks up at Naminé, and suddenly Naminé feels a spark of defiance in her chest. Who is she to create such hopelessness in another's eyes? Why should she listen to DiZ and force Xion to sacrifice everything?

"Yes, they do," she says, voice sharper than she'd intended it to be. "Everyone has been trying to tell you that you're even less than a Nobody, but Xion, I think they're wrong. Did Sora or Kairi spend all those hours together with your friends? No - you're the one who created so many memories with them. It's not fair for us to ask you to give all that away, for some boy you've never even met!"

When did she stand up?

"You started out as a puppet, without any real emotions or heart within you."

When did she cross the room and fiercely take hold of Xion's hands in her own?

"And so you feel worthless, like anything you created in yourself afterward must not deserve to exist. I understand that."

When did their identical blue eyes meet, drawing their faces closer and closer like an electric pull?

"But you're your own person now. Axel and Roxas gave you a _you_ to hold onto." Suddenly Naminé understands what she wants to do, and though she doesn't quite understand where the compulsion came from, she decides to for once abandon her inhibitions.

Xion's face is still flashing from Sora to Kairi to Roxas and back . . . but when Naminé leans over and kisses her gently, she is kissing _Xion_, and the girl's own visage returns. Xion stands stock still for a moment, eyes locked onto Naminé's own, confused blush spreading across her cheeks. She then decides something herself and leans into Naminé's touch, kissing her back. Both girls' breathing is rapid, uneven, and Naminé knows that if either of them had a heart, it would be echoing like a drum in their chest from the force of its beating.

"Your awareness and all memories of you are going to fade," Naminé whispers after they pull away. Her hands are still holding tight to Xion's own, and their grasp is clasped between their chests as each leans into the other. "I can't do anything to stop that. But no memory is ever completely gone. Hold onto your friends, hold onto -" _why_ is she starting to stutter _now_? "Um - me, that, what we just - you know - and maybe some part of you will remain."

Xion - and she is Xion now, not Kairi, nor anybody else - blinks. She smiles, still looking scared, but Naminé thinks she can see some vestige of hope in the girl now. Maybe she's done something to help, for once, instead of all the destruction she's wrought and hearts she's torn apart.

Neither girl speaks a word, but the silence isn't awkward. It drapes across both of them like a warm cloak as each contemplates the future before them.

They know their eventual fate. Sora and Kairi, the prince and princess of light, need complete hearts if they are to obtain their Happily-Ever-Afters. Xion and Naminé are mistakes, tumors branching off of the original heart and forming imaginary beings of their own. Both understand that they have to be returned, melded back into the place where they belong. And one day soon, it will have to happen to both of them. Their borrowed consciousness will be relinquished.

"We don't have to despair," Xion says quietly, as if she read Naminé's mind. "Our 'lives' may be quickly waning away, and maybe we weren't meant to exist in the first place. Even if our consciousness will disappear, even if we're hated because of something we can't help, let's find happiness while we can. Let's live to the fullest and without any regrets, so when we fade, there might be something left behind of us in the world. We can make our own light. How is that different from having a heart?"

Naminé smiles, pretending not to know that Xion's realization comes too late for the girl to do anything for herself. Xion's time has already ran out. "You're right," she instead says, and lets go of Xion's hands. She wraps her arms around the girl's waist and pulls her in for another kiss, acting on Xion's declaration. There isn't shyness now, just happiness that they have found each other and this realization in time to form a bond and defy the world's expectations of them. As their mouths move in unison, they are making decisions of their own and choosing their own fate, if only for the few minutes they have left. They're survivors thrown together after a shipwreck of hearts and memories clashing and unwinding in a storm. Sharks circle just under their feet in the water, but just during that moment, they don't care. They cling together regardless of all the forces pulling them apart.

Naminé should have known it wouldn't last for a moment longer. DiZ materializes directly behind them, causing the girls to jolt apart at once. Xion seems to know what is coming, and she subsequently draws a few steps away, smile having faded in realization. Naminé thought she was helping the girl, but now that she has reminded Xion and given her even more to hold onto in this life, can Xion muster up the strength to fade away?

"Naminé, they've found us! They are on their way!" He doesn't register the girls' closeness, or maybe simply doesn't care. "That blasted puppet led them right to our doorstep! See what you get for trusting it?"

Now Naminé is ready to fight, to defy this man who claims he has a right to control her. She is about to grab Xion, yell something courageous and passionate at the man who has oppressed her for so long, and run - but Xion is ready to give up.

"I'll get rid of them!" Xion shouts, voice breaking. She knows full well that she is about to fight her best friends, but she still draws her Keyblade and sprints from the room, keeping her eyes averted from Naminé.

Dumbstruck, the only response Naminé can muster is a pathetic, "No! Xion . . ." She reaches her hand out in a futile gesture, but Xion has already left the room. DiZ looks at her in mild curiosity, but doesn't really care about the inner workings of a Nobody's mind. He turns away from her and teleports out of the room. Naminé is left alone, standing awkwardly between the snow-white walls which seem to be pressing in on her, shortening her breath.

There is nothing she can do.


End file.
